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"We're all building it together": Collaborative wisdom from the 2024 Merritt Awards
I'm back! The end of the school year pulled me away from regular posting, but I am getting back to it after a few months off. And...
emilymccdesign
Jun 4, 20242 min read
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The Problem with Solving Problems
One of the peculiar characteristics of theatrical design collaboration is the peer-to-peer nature of it. While most of the time, the...
emilymccdesign
Feb 29, 20242 min read
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The value of a "bad idea"
Very often in meetings (design meetings, committee meetings, any kind of collaborative process), I will say something like, "Okay, here's...
emilymccdesign
Feb 9, 20242 min read
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"Yes, and..." OR "No, but..." OR just "No."
An article from HowlRound caught my eye recently: https://howlround.com/resisting-yes-and-culture-and-learning-say-no The author, Sara...
emilymccdesign
Jan 30, 20242 min read
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The dreaded "group project"
My dad sent me an article from the Boston Globe the other day. I grew up in Boston and my parents still live there - they are avid...
emilymccdesign
Jan 25, 20242 min read
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How do you find balance between flexibility and clarity?
I've been a designer for theatre for over 20 years. In high school and college, I dabbled in directing and stage management, but settled...
emilymccdesign
Jan 9, 20242 min read
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Shifting Collaborative Gears
6 years ago, my husband and I bought a car. We ended up buying a Honda Fit with a manual transmission - my husband knew how to drive...
emilymccdesign
Dec 19, 20233 min read
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Collaboration - Between or Among?
One of the things that has struck me as I've been tracking how collaboration is written and talked about in various forums is how often...
emilymccdesign
Dec 12, 20232 min read
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The Collaboration conundrum - starting to jot down my thoughts
For a couple of years now, I've been bouncing around ideas on theatrical design collaboration. I think it's an under-appreciated aspect...
emilymccdesign
Nov 30, 20232 min read
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